Richard Gordon's 'Wow Olongapo'
MANILA, Philippines - Philippine National Red Cross chairman and CEO Richard J. Gordon has many happy memories of growing up in Olongapo.
He and his siblings, along with less-fortunate children from the community, would play basketball and baseball, as well as swim in the sea and bike to the beach. One of their favorite childhood games was playing Knights of the Round Table. “We would get gumamela branches, shave off the leaves, and make swords out of these,” he recalls. “We would also make swords with the carpenters from the small shop we owned. They were our friends.”
His parents, who both had a deep sense of community, further instilled this spirit of chivalry in their young son. His father, James Leonard T. Gordon, who is considered the Father of Olongapo, taught him to excel, to be number one in whatever endeavor he would undertake. His mother, Amelia Juico Gordon, founded the local Red Cross Chapter, and she taught him early on the importance of charity work.
Chairman Gordon learned these lessons well and today is widely considered the Father of Volunteerism in the Philippines, and is a strong advocate of transformational leadership.
As a three-term local executive in Olongapo City that hosted the largest US military bases in the 1980s, he introduced innovative yet simple programs that empowered an active citizenry and made it a model for other cities in the Philippines.
As founding chairman and administrator of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, he proceeded to implement a plan for its long-term development after the departure of the US Navy from Subic Bay in the 1990s.
A charismatic speaker, he motivated some 8,000 volunteers in their first unusual act of self-empowerment when the US Navy completed its withdrawal from the naval facility and its conversion for civilian and commercial use began. With his grit and passion, he made the Subic Bay Freeport Zone a business hub, as foreign investments from the United States, Taiwan, Japan, and other countries poured in.
Chairman Gordon was appointed as Secretary of the Department of Tourism in January 2001. During his stint, his WOW Philippines campaign jump-started the tourism industry, which was then besieged by the 9/11 terror threats, Abu Sayaff kidnappings, and SARS.
Elected as senator in 2004, he consistently stood by the rule of law and the preservation of Philippine democratic institutions and the integrity of the Filipino’s right of suffrage.
Chairman Gordon has received numerous awards and citations for his work. Among these are the Gold Humanitarian Award from the Japanese Red Cross in 2008; The Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) in 1996; the Award for Outstanding and Dynamic Leadership in Government Service by the International Lions Club; and the Ten Outstanding Young Men Award (TOYM) for Public Administration in 1982. He was also named one of the 20 Great Asians of the Future by Asiaweek magazine in 1995; one of Who’s Who in Asia by NHK TV Japan and one of 50 Young Leaders of Asia by the Asahi Shimbun Japan, both in 1995.
Although he has served the government in various capacities, Chairman Gordon says that the job he loves most is being a volunteer of the Red Cross. A volunteer for 40 years, his commitment and dedication to this organization and the work that it does goes far beyond title and position.
He also loves spending weekends in his hometown where a perfect day for him would be sailing with his family on the boat and driving down its wide and well-paved streets in his red Mustang. Here, he takes us around his Olongapo, his SM.
“SM means shopping, movies, communion with the common folk. There’s no rich or poor here. Everybody goes shopping, goes malling. It’s also a way we can show that we can compete with the rest and the best malls in the world.”
“Olongapo is my town, it’s where I grew up, and I consider it my home. It was a small town with about 20,000 people when I was in Grade 1. Maybe even less. Everyone knew one another, and people were extremely disciplined because we were under the American military government.”
“On weekends, my father would take us to the beach — these were sandy, isolated beaches with lots of water lilies. My father had three roundabout boats, which he allowed me to take to sea when I was in my teens. The family would go water skiing using plain plywood boards which were dragged in the water. We would have a small barbecue and lots of fun. Today, I still enjoy going out on the water, spending time on the boat and fishing with my family. It has always been a big thing for the family — just being together on a boat, and swimming out there by Grande Island.”
“This transformation of Subic did not happen overnight. This began with talks with my father, who always told me that we must be prepared for this eventuality. Then, I studied what a freeport was during visits to Hong Kong and Singapore. In 1980, I sat down, formulated my vision, and drew up a master plan. At first, nobody listened to us, but I made Olongapo what it is today by making sure the people joined me in making it a model city.”
“Staying in the American Military Reservation gave us some good values. It provided a work ethic for the people and encouraged a community spirit among the residents.”
“Our family has been in the restaurant business for a long time, and I remember the great food my mother would prepare. We would have the most delicious hot chocolate, bacon, scrambled eggs, pancakes and real hash browns for breakfast. Relleno and turkey were her other specialties. Food is exquisite in the Philippines, so I would bring guests on a culinary tour around Olongapo.”
“What this country needs is not a change of men, but a change in men. That is what I have always liked to achieve: to make people better than what they are, and to make them see a vision of themselves as caring, compassionate, competent, competitive members of a transformational and successful society.”
“If I would take visitors around Olongapo, I would take him to historic areas like the Spanish Gate.”
“When we go to SM, we watch a movie, go to a restaurant. It’s good to see a lot of people enjoying themselves and feeling they can be part of, hopefully, a growing affluence in the country.”
